A Holiday I Can Understand
by jennabrooke7
Summary: Slightly AU. Destiel. Mention of Sabriel. Castiel experiences New Years Eve and while he may not be the partying type, there is one aspect of the celebration that he can definitely enjoy.


**A/N: Hey guys thanks for reading! I got attacked by a rabid plot bunny while I was watching Sherlock and I had to write this. This is my first Destiel story...and I think it turned out okay...maybe. Well I hope you like this and please please favorite and review and whatever :D I promise I will respond to you! I love you guys!**

**Oh and I totally don't own any of these characters. They all belong to Kripke the Great and Powerful.**

Other than one's birthday, this is the only holiday that I can truly understand. Well...mostly understand that is. Humans celebrate this day (night?) as the end/beginning of a year. They are given an excuse to drink and fornicate and...party to their hearts content. I can understand that. There is something special about knowing that you have made it through another year. I, however, have no need of using such methods to celebrate. I need only look into the eyes of the people around me to know that maybe I am good enough. Maybe I do deserve some happiness. When I look at my...family...I feel a warmth in me that I cannot explain...and yet, it needs no explanation.

* * *

We have all been staying at Bobby's house for a couple of weeks. Bobby gives up his room for Ellen and Jo while he sleeps on the couch (without argument I might add). Ash just sleeps...well...actually I'm not really sure where Ash sleeps to be honest. I'll just assume that he is using the panic room. Sam and Dean occupy different rooms, which has become very normal for the past few months. While Gabriel says he really doesn't mind an audience, Sam, on the other hand, would die before he did anything more than kiss Gabriel in front of his family. Being angels, Gabriel and I have no need for sleep, but I would guess that the action is quite soothing. It is probably very nice when you have someone to sleep with…

Most nights I sit in Dean's room and watch him sleep. I enjoy it. The hunter seems so much more at peace during these hours of the night. During those few precious hours in the night, he is no longer a hunter. He is a man without a care in the world. The lines on his forehead from years of worry and stress fade away. The tension in his shoulders relaxes. When he sleeps, the monsters in the world cease to exist. When he sleeps, what little bit of innocence he has left that has not been marred by a seemingly endless string of tragedy and anguish, takes over and he is young. He is no longer Dean Winchester: The Man Who Came Back from Hell. He is no longer Dean Winchester: Vessel of Michael the Archangel. When he sleeps, all of that fades away and he is just Dean Winchester: The Man I Have Fallen in Love With.

At first he wasn't too comfortable with me watching him at night. He would say, "Cas, go to sleep. I feel like you're either gonna kill me or rape me." Then he would roll over and fall asleep. I guess he doesn't mind anymore; he never objects to it anyways. He doesn't even seem to mind that now when I watch him, I am sitting right next to his bed rather than on the other side of the room.

* * *

New Year's Eve was spent entirely at Bobby's house. Nobody wanted to leave. We all wanted to be together when the new year came...I guess you could say that we all had a greater appreciation for the new year. Ellen, Jo, and Gabriel had went out the previous day to stock up on alcohol (for everybody), pie (for Dean), and candy (for Gabriel). They also managed to get an assortment of colorful objects for everyone to wear. Gabriel personally forced me to wear a ridiculous pointed paper hat and at least three different colored strands of beads. He also shoved this little thing in my mouth and said that when you blow it, the rolled up tube of paper at the end rolls out and it makes noise. "I don't understand how this is entertaining, Gabriel," was all I said.

There was a chorus of laughter at my lack of understanding. Now uncomfortable with being the center of attention, I walked over to a counter and poured a couple shots of the closest bottle I could find. It was nowhere near enough to affect me, but I was more focused on the action itself rather than the effects. Besides, it apparently takes the consumption of an entire liquor store to inebriate me.

By eleven-thirty, everyone was starting to get excited. They were all in various states of drunkenness, though nothing bad enough to warrant a terrible hangover in the morning. I looked around the room and smiled at how happy they all looked. Gabriel was sitting on Sam's lap, Sam's arms wrapped around his angel's body and their hands linked together. Bobby, Ellen, and Ash were gathered around a small table playing a card game. "HAHA! Beat that bitches! The Master has won another game!" Ash's cry of apparent victory could be heard from the other side of the house.

I looked across form where I was standing in the kitchen doorway and saw that Dean was staring at me...and smiling. I felt a jolt in my stomach from looking at him. I loved the way the corners of his eyes crinkled when he smiled. That's how I know his smile is genuine. I felt myself getting lost in my thoughts of him so I decided to go outside before I did something detrimental.

I walked over to a car not too far from the front door and climbed on top of it. I sat there for quite a while, lost in my thoughts, when I felt a presence next to me. "It's really beautiful tonight. Isn't it, Cas?" I looked over and my own blue eyes were met with the stunning green eyes of the eldest Winchester. "Yes, it is," I said, never looking away from him. I noticed Dean shuffle in his spot a bit and pull his leather jacket close. I was suddenly hyper-aware of our proximity. Nearly the whole right side of my body was touching the left side of his. I could feel him shivering slightly so I willed some of my grace to him and warmed his body.

He let a sigh of relief and asked, "Cas, are you doing that?" Not wanting to look up, I said, "I apologize. I shouldn't have…" Before I said any more, he cut me off, "No! No, that's not what I was getting at. I was gonna thank you. That feels...heavenly." I looked up at him and smiled. We sat there...just staring at the sky. I hadn't felt so peaceful in a long time. I wandered into my thoughts of Dean again.

What brought me back a slight, almost imperceptible, touch of his hand against mine. I looked at our hands, his fingers mere millimeters from my own. I felt like I needed to touch his hand. My fingers inched forward and met his...looking for consent. Without hesitation, Dean laced our fingers together and placed our hands in his lap. I could feel my heart race at this sudden contact. We leaned into each other and sat in comfortable silence once again.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" We both turned our heads toward the joyous shouts coming from the house and smiled. "You know, Cas…" Dean started, a slight blush gracing his cheeks. "Yes, Dean?" I asked. "There's this...uh...rule...that when it turns midnight, you're supposed to...kiss someone," He rubbed the back of his neck nervously the entire time he said that. I smiled and leaned forward, raising my hand to touch his cheek.

He brought his lips to mine in a delicate kiss. Neither of us was very sure of the other's reaction, so it was very soft and tender. When I ran my fingers through his hair, he responded with more heat in the kiss. It became more passionate and we were soon left breathless. I leaned my forehead against his and just stared into his eyes as our breaths mingled together. Dean smiled and kissed me again we reveled in each other's presence. "Happy New Year, Cas," Dean said sweetly. I kissed him once more, delighting in the fact that I simply _could _and said, "Happy New Year, Dean."


End file.
